Decorative eyeglass lens mount



Feb. 2, 1965 A. B. BELGARD 3,168,741

DECORATIVE EYEGLASS LENS MOUNT Filed April 4. 1961 DECGRATIVE EYEGLASS LENS MGUNT Austin l3. Belgard, 3226 Spruceweod, Wilmette, ill.

Filed Apr. 4, i961, Sci. No. 196,659

5 Claims. (Cl. 351-51) This invention relates to eyeglass construction, and more specifically, to eyeglasses of improved and relatively lightweight construction.

An object of the present invention is to provide rimless eyeglasses substantially lighter in weight than ordinary glasses while having an appearance similar to conventional rimmed glasses or glasses having decorative brow bars. Another object is to provide a pair of glasses having substantimly shatter proof plastic lenses treated and mounted upon a rimless frameto give the appearance of glasses having rims or brow bars. In this connection, it is a specific object to provide eyeglass lenses which have been treated so that peripheral surface decorations are permanently aifixed thereto.

Another object is to provide an eyeglass construction in which plastic lenses are ailixed to the arms of a supman anese, lees tion of its structure, except for the parts which secure the porting frame in such a way that an extremely sturdy and durable union is foirned between the parts. A specific object is to provide such a union in which certain of the elements connecting the frame and lenses are concealed when the eyeglasses are viewed from the front thereof. A still further object is to provide eyeglasses with the appearance of having rimmed lenses but which maybe easily adjusted Without heating or otherwise'treating the frame'thereof. prior to such adjustment. An additional object is to provide eyeglasses" in which the rims thereof are non-supporting portions of the lenses; thus, there is no danger that such rims will warp the plastic lenses under conditions which'might tend to distont or cause dimensional changes in the plastic frames and rirns of ordinary glasses. Yet another object is to provide spectacles having plasticlenses with permanent surface markings which not only give the impression of structural-supporting elements without the weight and bulk thereof but which perform the function of reducing peripheral glare.

Other objects will appear from the specification and dravdngs in which:

FIGURE 1 is-a perspective view embodying the {present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 2+2 of FIGURE 1; l

of a pair of eyeglasses lenses 13 in place, is believed unnecessary herein.

Each of the lenses 13 is formed from plastic material and, in the illustration given, is apertured at two points adjacent the periphery thereof to receive bolts 17 and 18 connected to nasal and temporal lungs' l9 and 29 provided by the frame 11 at opposite ends of each arm. Arms 14 are disposed behind the upper edge portions of each of the lenses andfollow the upper edge contour of those lenses.

While the eyeglass lenses give every appearance of beingprovided withconventional rims, they are in fact rimless; that is, theylack the conventional retaining rims which ordinarily perform a lens-supporting function.

Each lens is debossed or engraved aboutits edge to pro-- vide a peripheral groove or channel Zlalong the outer face the"eof. This channel is filled, or partially filled, with a pigment-containing material 22 which is fused with the plastic of the lens to form an integral part thereof. Where each lens is formed from a plastic material such as methyl mcthacrylate, material 22'may constitute a pigmented acrylic resin capable of fusing with thematerial of the lensas the resin is cured. Other pigmented materials capable of fusing or copolymerizing' with a selected plastic lens material may also be used. For example, where the lens is formed from an allyl polyester resin such as allyl diglycol carbonate, the pigmented material may also constitute an allyl resin which, upon heating, will forma hard filler bonded to the lens.

The rim of pigmented material 22 about the periphcry of each lens reduces the amount of light passing through the edges of the lens,.particularly because of the deep channel in which the pigmented material is fixed. Even further reduction in the transmission of peripheral light rays, which produce objectionableside edge glare, may be achieved by coatin the edge surfaces 23. As

. indicated in FIGURE 6, the extension of the pigmented FIGURE 3 is a broken front elevational view showing I one lens of the spectacles illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a broken front elevational view showing a lens of a pair of eyeglassesconstituting a second form of i the invention;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional viewtaken along line 5.5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the edge portion of the lens for a pair of eyeglasses constituting'a connected at their inner ends to nose piece 15 and are.-

pivotaily connected at their outer ends to the temple pieces 12.' Pads 16 are affixed to the nose piece and may be formed from plastic or any other suitable material.

The rest of the frame is preferably formed of metal. Since the frame is entirely conventional, a furtherdescrip-V material 2 2 over edge surface 23 as well as the surface of channel 21 substantially increases the blocking of light rays 25 without appreciably increasing the weight of the lenses. For a myopia-corrective lens 13' of the type illustratedin FIGURE 7, the pigmented resinous material 22 may be fused to edge surfaces Zdaswell as peripheral edge surface 23', thereby blocking the transmission of inwardly directed peripheral light. rays. Edge surfaces'zo are preferably beveled to reduce the thickness of the characteristically wide periphery of a myopia-corrective lens and to simulate more closely the appearance of a conventional rimmed lens. f i

As already mentioned, eachlens is held in place by a pair of bolts 3? and 18 located adjacent'the lens nasal and temporal edge portions. Referring again to FlG- URES 1-3, and particularly toFiGURE 2 it will be ob- I served that the lens openings through which the bolts I pass are slightly largerthan the diameters of the bolts and that the threaded spacej about the shank of each bolt containsa quantity of resinonsr'naterial 27. This material-is capable of fusing with the lease and will ordinarily be the same composition as the pigmented materialZZ within the peripheral channel 21. When the sleeve of resinous material 2.7 is fully cured, the shaft of thebolt extending therethrough is tightly anchored in place and the"sligl1t movements of the bolt which might result in rapid wear and'enlarg'ement of the lensopening are prevented.

The peripheral grooves or channels containing the pigmented material need not extend about the entire circumterence of each lense but may, as illustrated in Fl"- URES 4 and 15, be located only along a portion of the lens. periphery. In this modification, grooves 21' are shaped to define'a simulated brow bar. Like bolt l8, boltld' is imbedded in a sleeve or sheath 27 of resinous associated with such frame portions.

plastic inaterialfused with the material of the lens proper.

However, the bolt opening is located in groove 21' and,

applied to the threaded end of the bolt to lock the nut in place. 7

From the above, it is believed apparent that theeyeglasses disclosed herein have the appearance of glasses with frame portions about the periphery of the lenses Without the weight and other disadvantages" ordinarily As far as Weight reduction is concerned, a pair of glassesof the typeillustrated in FIGURE 1 should, depending upon the particular plastic selected for the lenses, be 30 to 50 percent "lighter in weight than corresponding glass-lens spectacles having solid .lens-retaining rims and having generally the same appearance. Furthermore, since the simulated rims or brow bars disclosed herein are integral portions of the lenses themselves, there is no danger that the rims or bars might warp the plastic lenses, a problem which might otherwise arise if the bars or rims provided structural support. I 7

While in the foregoing several embodiments of the invention have been dislosed in considerable detail for purposes of illustration, it will'be understoodby those skilled in the art that many of these details may be varied without departing frorn the spirit and scope of the in- '1 vention.

I claim: 7 g l. A pair of lightweight eyeglasses comprising a frame having nose and temple pieces and having a pair of arm portions, each of saidarm portions having at least one.

apertured lug, a pair of transparentplastic. lenses secured to said frame in front of said arm portions and in front of the lugs thereof, each of said lenses having at least one aperture in register with the aperture of a lug directly therebehind, and head-providing connecting elements extending through said apertures and securing said lenses to said lugs, each of said lenses having peripheral portions thereof coated with a pigmented plastic mate rial, said pigmented plastic material being fused to said plastic lenses and defining simulated frame por'tionsltherefor, and a sheath of plastic material fused to each of said lenses within the aperture thereof and securely anchoring said connecting elementewithin the aperture of said lens, the headset said connecting elements being disposed on the front sides of said lenses andoeing covered by the pigmented plastic material fused to said lenses. Y i V The structure of claim 1 in which'eachof said lenses rial within said groove; 7

, x has its front face engraved along the periphery thereof to provide at least one pigment-retaining groove, said pigmented plastic material being disposed within said grooves and fused to the plastic of said lenses therein.

3. A pair of eyeglasses comprising a frame having nose and temple pieces andhaving apertured lugs adjacent the nasal and temporal portions thereof, a pair of transparent plastic lenses, each of said lenses having peripheral grooves along the front face thereof, each of said lenses also being'provided with apertures in register with the apertures of said lugs, at least one of the apertures of each lens being locatedin a peripheral groove, said lugs being disposed bebjnd'said lenses, connecting elements extending through the apertures ofsaid lenses and said lugs to secure said lenses to said frame, said connecting elements being provided with enlarged'heads on the front sides of said lenses, and a hardened pigmented plastic material disposed within said peripheral grooves and fused to the plastic of said lenses to define simulated frame portions for said eyeglasses, said pigmented'plastic material extending over andabout said heads of said connecting elements to conceal the head disposed within said peripheral grooves.

4. A lens mounting comprising a frame having at least one lug apertnred for supporting an eyeglass lens, a trans- A; parent plasticlens disposed in front of said frame and said lugs and having a peripheral groove in the front surface thereof, said lens also having an opening therethrough disposed'within said groove and in register with the aperture of said lug directly behind said lens, a connecting element having a threaded shaftportion extending through said opening and said aperture and-having an enlarged head'portion disposed Within said groove, and a hardened pigmented plastic materialdisposed within said groove and fused to the plastic of, said lens, said head being enibedded and concealed Within the pigmented plastic mate- 5. The structure'of claim 4 in which. the opening through said lens is of substantially greater diameter than the diameter of the threaded shaft portion of said connectingrelemeng'said pigmented plastic material extending into said opening about said shaft portion for anchoring said connecting'element in place.

7 References Cited in the file of this patent 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS I Winston Decfl8,

1,984,448 1934 2,174,304 Anderson et 'al. Sept. 26, 1939 2,225,038 Diggins; Z Dec. 17, 1940 2,310,133 Uhlemann etal. Feb. 2, 1943 2,328,708 Cook et al. Sept. 7,1943 1944 2, 62, 26: S q y' Ne 1.4, 

1. A PAIR OF LIGHTWEIGHT EYEGLASSES COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING NOSE AND TEMPLE PIECES AND HAVING A PAIR OF ARM PORTIONS, EACH OF SAID ARM PORTIONS HAVING AT LEAST ONE APERTURED LUG, A PAIR OF TRANSPARENT PLASTIC LENSES SECURED TO SAID FRAME IN FRONT OF SAID ARM PORTIONS AND IN FRONT OF THE LUGS THEREOF, EACH OF SAID LENSES HAVING AT LEAST ONE APERTURE IN REGISTER WITH THE APETURE OF A LUG DIRECTLY THEREBEHIND, AN HEAD-PROVIDING CONNECTING ELEMENTS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURES AND SECURING SAID LENSES TO SAID LUGS, EACH OF SAID LENSES HAVING PERIPHERAL PORTIONS THEREOF COATED WITH A PIGMENTED PLASTIC MATERIAL, SAID PIGMENTED PLASTIC MATERIAL BEING FUSED TO SAID PLASTIC LENSES AND DEFINING SIMULATED FRAME PORTIONS THEREFOR, AND A SHEATH OF PLASTIC MATERIAL FUSED TO EACH OF SAID LENSES WITHIN THE APERTURE THEREOF AND SECURELY ANCHORING SAID CONNECTING ELEMENT WITHIN THE APERTURE OF SAID LENS, THE HEADS OF SAID CONNECTING ELEMENTS BEING DISPOSED ON THE FRONT SIDES OF SAID LENSES AND BEING CONVERED BY THE PIGMENTED PLASTIC MATERIAL FUSED TO SAID LENSES. 